Fairy Tales
by If You Say So.x
Summary: A collection of one-shots based on your favourite characters and pairings. Story Two: GaLe - If there's one thing he hated more than anything, it was being cramped on a tiny bus with a bunch of noisy kids. But hey, some good things can come of it after all... [AU]
1. To Love a Heartfilia

Story One; To Love a Heartfilia

Lucy dodged quickly to the right as several plates followed by a screaming Elfman flew past her ear. After 6 months in a guild as crazy as Fairy Tail, it wasn't that surprising that she'd learned a trick or two on avoiding being dragged into the daily brawls.

And she didn't have a choice but to duck and dodge the un-aimed attacks, especially after the time she'd nearly been crushed to death by Reedus.

Lucy shuddered at the memory. Taking another sip from her coffee mug, the blonde turned her attention to Mirajane, who was busy cleaning the same plate she'd been wiping when Lucy had entered the guild that morning.

"So, Mira, any jobs come up lately that might be good for me?" Lucy asked, head cocked to one side. She'd been behind on her rent for well over two months now, and needed some serious cash fast.

Mira tilted her head slightly as she thought. "Well… there was one job, paying about 120,000 if I remember rightly. A group of bandits have been raiding a small village near Hargeon for a while now."

Lucy's head hit the bar counter. "I doubt I could pull that off alone." She muttered.

A rather unfeminine burp came from Lucy's left as a barrel hit the counter's surface. Cana wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before leaning her elbows against the bar. "Just ask Natsu to help." She said, before swatting an incoming ice shard away from her face. "Watch where you're shooting those things, Gray, you perverted stripper!" she yelled, before hoping off her stool and joining the fray.

Mirajane smiled slightly. "She has a point. I'm sure he won't mind letting you have a slightly bigger cut of the reward if you need it for rent." She suggested calmly.

Lucy rested her cheek on her palm. "I dunno. Natsu's been a bit off lately. I've been trying to give him some space, y'know…"

Mira nodded, before peering over Lucy's shoulder towards the double doors. "Speak of the salamander." She said quietly, before turning her back to the blonde.

Lucy blinked at the white-haired woman before swivelling round on her chair. Natsu ran quickly over to Lucy, a stupidly big grin smacked on his face.

The celestial wizard couldn't help but feel a little bit confused. Normally, when a fight in the guild hall was going on, Natsu couldn't resist getting a piece of the action. Hell, half the time he started these mini-battles.

But this time he simply sprinted past everyone in a straight path towards her.

"Ne, Lucy, there you are. I've been looking all over for ya." Natsu said.

"Oh?" Lucy mumbled. "What's up?"

The pink-headed boy laughed slightly, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Ah, well, there's something I need to tell you about."

Lucy sent him a questioning look over the rim of her mug.

"Come on, let's go somewhere else." He said, grabbing Lucy's wrist and dragging her off her seat, making her drop the cup.

"Hey!" she grumbled as she unwillingly got pulled threw the crowds.

The two disappeared out of the guild hall, doors shutting loudly behind them.

Cana walked back to her seat, leaning over the bar. "Where are they off to in a hurry?" she asked the barmaid.

Mirajane smiled knowingly. "Remember the bet we made about those two when Natsu first brought Lucy here?"

Cana paused for a second, before nodding. "What about it?"

"You owe me 50 bucks." Mira stated triumphantly.

* * *

"Natsu, can you slow down a bit please?" Lucy gasped between breaths as she struggled to keep pace with her partner, feet slamming painfully against the hard pavement.

"We're almost there, though." He moaned.

Lucy shook her head then looked around them. She instantly recognised the street she'd been walking up and down every day for the past half-year.

Gradually the two slowed down as they reached the middle of the grey, cobbled bridge crossing the river. Natsu crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, while Lucy stood watching him, her hands on her hips.

"Well, what is it?" Lucy asked.

Natsu turned to her, face puzzled for a second, until a light flashed across his eyes. "Oh, right!" He stood up straight, that familiar lop-sided grin planted on his face. "This thing has been bugging my mind for a while now, and I couldn't make any sense of it. So I asked Erza, and apparently, according to her anyway, I'm in love with you." He said simply.

Lucy eyes widened. She reached a hand up to cup her ear, a very awkward smile on her face. "Sorry, what did you say? I don't think I heard you right?" she gushed.

"I said I'm in love with you, Luce." He repeated, voice unwavering.

Lucy's cheeks turned a furious shade of pink. "N-Natsu, do you even know what love is?" she asked, palms growing slightly sweaty.

Natsu tapped a finger against the right side of his face. "It's what makes your head go all stupid, right?"

She couldn't believe it. This had to be a dream – she must have been knocked out back in the guild hall and this was all some crazy dream. Lucy rolled up the sleeve of her tight sweater and pinched her arm as hard as she could.

"Ack." She yelped. No, she wasn't dreaming.

Natsu regarded his best friend. "Why did you do that?"

Lucy jumped back a bit. "Oh, no reason." She rambled, her blush deepening further. "So, um, Natsu, are you sure you _really_ love me, or just think you do?" Lucy asked nervously.

His thoughtful look returned. "Well, I've been feeling a bit strange lately. How to put it… Well, every time I saw you, I'd get this weird feeling in my stomach, and my head would start aching – like I couldn't think straight. At first I thought I was sick or somethin', but when I went to the doctor they said that nothing was wrong."

He shrugged, then continued. "Then, a few days ago when me and Gray were in your room, you came out of the shower in just your towel."

Lucy's cheeks heated up more at the thought.

"Just the sight made my chest go all… squirmy. Then when I caught Gray gawking at you, it made me angry. Like, really, _really _pissed. When you chucked us out, I punched him a bit too hard. And when he asked why, I couldn't really answer."

Lucy laughed to herself.

"Then I went to talk to Erza. I told her all this, and she just looked at me, all smiley, and said that I was in love. I didn't really get it at first, but I think she's right. I'm pretty sure she's right, anyway. I like you, Luce." He said, quickly, the tiniest bit of pink covering his cheeks.

Lucy's heart started to beat faster in her chest. "Are you finished?" she asked quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Uh huh." Natsu whispered.

"Well, in that case, I'm just gonna try something…" Lucy said, before lunging forward. She wrapped her arms around his back, hugging the pyromancer.

Natsu's blush deepened as he slowly circled her waist with his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder, taking in the smell of her hair. She smelled of strawberries – he'd never really noticed that before.

Lucy let herself grin. "Yeah, I think I'm willing to give this a go." She mumbled a response to his unasked question.

Natsu's smile widened. He drew back from the hug, still holding her to him, hands resting on her hips. "So you aren't freaked out by this or anything?"

Lucy shook her head.

There had always been a voice in the back of her head telling Lucy that she had feelings for Natsu. But being Lucy, she never really paid mind to it. She was a girl, after all, of course she'd have thoughts like that about guys in her life.

Admittedly, the whole idea of her and Natsu together frightened her slightly. The only real knowledge and experience she had with relationships was from what she'd read in her extensive collection of romance novels and what she'd seen on movie-lacrimas.

But it dawned on her that Natsu probably felt just the same. He'd never had a girlfriend from what Lucy knew, and pair that with the fact that he had to ask someone else what the 'squirmy' feeling in his chest meant, Lucy felt slightly relaxed that Natsu was just as inexperienced as she was.

Natsu let go of Lucy's waist and reached down for her hand, taking it in his. "Come on, let's get back to the guild." He said, beaming at his newly-gained girlfriend.

Lucy returned the grin, threading her fingers threw his. "This is gonna cause a bit of a mess, huh?"

Natsu shrugged. "They'll just have to get used to it."

The blonde giggled slightly, and turned on the heel of her boot, beginning to walk back along the river with her salamander.

* * *

Mira, finally satisfied that the plate was clean, stacked it up with the others. She surveyed the scene in front of her. Macao and Wakaba were setting tables and benched back up while Levy was lecturing Gajeel on one thing or another. Various guild members were passed out in corners, while other were sitting and chatting among themselves.

Finally, it had all calmed down.

The double doors opened as Natsu and Lucy walked in, his arm snaked around her waist. All conversation died into a rather uncomfortable silence as the new couple stood before the guild, announcing the relationship with blushes and shuffling instead of words.

The quiet lingered for a second, before Gray's voice sounded through the air.

"It's about bloody time, geez." He yelled, a smile on his face.

Natsu and Lucy looked from their friend to each other, smirks on their faces. Cheers and wolf-whistles filled the main hall, until Mirajane cleared her throat from the bar, a smug grin on her face.

Gradually, a large number of wizards started mumbling, reaching into their pockets, pulling out money and placing it on the bar in front of Mira.

The blonde and the dragon slayer exchanged a confused look, before joining their team at one of the benches, stupidly happy grins still firmly in place.


	2. Public Transport

Story Two; Public Transport

God, did he hate public transport.

The vehicle jerked violently as it turned a corner, sending a stranger crashing into Gajeel's side. Gripping onto a rusted yellow pole for dear life, the skinny boy muttered an apology, Gajeel grunting in response.

A pair of old ladies continued to natter on about what Gertrude did last week in extremely loud voices, battling to drown out the sounds of a group of school girls squealing. Another sharp turn, and Gajeel got flattened by a guy twice his size.

Letting out an irritated scream and shooting glares at the snickering teenagers, everyone closest backed away from a now very agitated man. Breathing out slowly, Gajeel closed his eyes and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Really, he hated public transport.

The next stop. People filed out quickly. Gajeel snapped to attention, eyes searching for a newly vacant seat he could steal before anyone else could. And low and behold, two seats had been freed. Quickly shoving through protesting woman, he made it to the bench, collapsing back against the cold window and swinging his feet up.

The skinny kid from earlier eyed the seat next to him with yearning. Gajeel let out a low snicker, and sent a look his way, almost daring him to try and sit there. And of course, he didn't. Now content that he could relax for the rest of this journey/hell ride, Gajeel closed his eyes and drifted off.

* * *

A vibrating in his pocket brought Gajeel back to reality. Fumbling around, he eventually found his phone and flipped the screen up. A text from his boss:

_Where the hell are you? You better have a bloody good reason for being late. Again. – Makarov_

He moaned in frustration as his eyes locked on to the time. 7. Asleep for 4 hours on the bus. And now, he'd missed his shift, and was probably in the middle of nowhere. No cash – he'd have to walk home. And to top it all off, it was raining. Fucking perfect.

Looking around, there seemed to be no one else but him and the driver.

"Oi." He called gruffly, pausing to clear his throat.

The driver smirked. "Finally awake I see. How long 'ave ya been asleep, mate?"

"Don't matter. Where am I right now?" Gajeel asked, feeling a migraine build in the back of his head.

"Hargeon. The high street." Another groan on Gajeel's part. "I take it that you're a bit far from home, son?"

The black-haired boy's eyebrow twitched at the older man's obvious attempt to hide a laugh. "Shut up." He uttered bitterly, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

Choosing to distract himself, he looked out the window. Rain pelted against the glass, making the dark sky outside blurred.

The driver tutted. "Well, this is strange. Don't normally 'ave many about this time o' night…"

The bus lurched to a stop, directing Gajeel's forehead straight onto the seat in front. "_Fuck._" He cursed under his breath, rubbing at the sore spot.

The doors creaked open, and the driver let out a low whistle. Change clattered onto the little tray, and the old man let out a sigh. "Honestly love, you look a bit of a state. Bit daft to be out in the rain, don't cha think?"

Peaking up from the edge of seat, Gajeel's red eyes locked onto a mess of dripping, blue hair. A slender hand ran through said hair, revealing a petite girl's blushing face.

"It's not like I chose this. I'm just glad that no one's on here to see me like this." Her light voice echoed through the bus.

The driver's eyes drifted over to Gajeel's seat. Still slumped over, he doubted he was visible to the shrimp girl. "Well… tha's not exactly right."

The girl flipped her fringe off of her face, and followed the old geezer's gaze. Pale brown eye's locked on to crimson, sending a shiver down the girl's spine. Gajeel sat upright, arms crossed behind his head. He gave a brief, pitiful smile to the bluenette, before going back to looking out the window.

The short girl shuffled up the aisle, leaving a trail of water behind her, and sat down on the seat by the window opposite from his own.

Unable to resist the urge, Gajeel let his attention wander over to the young girl's face. Everything about her seemed small – her thin frame, lacking chest, and tiny wrists to name a few. Everything but her eyes. Large, round, doe eyes that looked even bigger thanks to the layer of running mascara that coated her cheeks and eyelids.

As if noticing his cautious gaze, the girl's gaze snapped over to him. Heat flashed across Gajeel's cheeks as he quickly looked away, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck. The girl snickered slightly, and Gajeel pouted in response, only make her laugh more. A small smile crept onto his face as he stared at his reflection in the window. Her laugh reminded him of wind chimes, light and tinkling.

His eyes flickered over to her once more, just in time to catch the bluenette shiver. Not surprising, considering how completely drenched the poor girl was.

Taking the phone from his jacket and shoving it into his jeans pocket, Gajeel slipped off the leather coat, and chucked it over to the girl, who caught it. She sent him a raised eyebrow, and he shrugged.

Blushing, she put on the coat and shifted out of her seat. Sitting slowly next to him, the girl let out a low sigh. "Thanks, stranger."

He felt the brush coat his cheeks again at how close they were now. "Er, no problem…"

"Levy." She said quickly. "My name's Levy."

"Gajeel."

"Nice to meet you." She said quietly, clutching the coat closer around her shoulders.

Gajeel regarded her for a second. "Still cold, huh?" A nod. Feeling extremely awkward, he raised his arm over her head and rested it on her shoulder, tugging the girl closely to his side. "Better?"

"Uh.. yeah, thanks." She gushed, her face turning cherry red. "…C-can I trust you?" Levy asked, her voice turning slightly squeaky.

"Look, 'snot like I'm gonna mug ya or anythin'. Jus' shut up and except the favour." He grumbled.

"Mm." she mumbled in agreement, before resting her head on his chest. Gajeel gulped slightly, praying that she couldn't hear his heartbeat.

* * *

They didn't talk much for the rest of the ride. He learnt that she liked to read, she learnt that he was thinking of becoming a smith. It was just trivial talk to fill the gaps of awkward silence.

Levy's slender finger pressed the red 'STOP' button much too quickly for Gajeel's liking. He detached his arm from around her, his side feeling very cold as she stood up.

She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, and smiled at him. "It was nice to meet you, stranger."

He grinned. "Same to ya, shrimp."

Levy sent him a glare, and Gajeel laughed. The former turned on the heel of her ankle boot, and began to strut back down the aisle, giving a small wave to the driver.

It finally clicked to Gajeel just as she was about to step off the bus. "OI! You still got my jacket on." he said, pointing a finger in her direction.

Levy looked down at herself, before beck at Gajeel, a glint in her eyes. "I'll give it back the next time I see you."

The boy blinked for a second, before a wide grin settled on his face. "Gi hi.. I'll take ya up on that, shrimp."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT." She yelled, irritated. Letting out a 'humph' and throwing her head back, she strutted off the bus. The doors shut once more with a definite click, and the bus lurched back into life. Levy paused, turned, and waved at Gajeel, who gave a playful wink in response. He settled back in his seat, closing his eyes once again.

Okay, maybe he didn't hate public transport _that _much.


End file.
